Chiropractic Care
Spinal manipulation, which chiropractors call “spinal adjustment” or “chiropractic adjustment”, is the most common treatment used in chiropractic care; in the U.S., chiropractors perform over 90% of all manipulative treatments. Spinal manipulation is a passive manual maneuver during which a three-joint complex is taken past the normal physiological range of movement without exceeding the anatomical boundary limit; its defining factor is a dynamic thrust, which is a sudden force that causes an audible release and attempts to increase a joint’s range of motion. More generally, spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) describes techniques where the hands are used to manipulate, massage, mobilize, adjust, stimulate, apply traction to, or otherwise influence the spine and related tissues; in chiropractic care SMT most commonly takes the form of spinal manipulation.

Many other treatment forms are used by chiropractors for treating the spine, other joints and tissues, and general health issues. The following procedures were received by more than 1/3 of patients of licensed U.S. chiropractors in a 2003 survey: Diversified technique (full-spine manipulation), physical fitness/exercise promotion, corrective or therapeutic exercise, ergonomic/postural advice, self-care strategies, activities of daily living, changing risky/unhealthy behaviors, nutritional/dietary recommendations, relaxation/stress reduction recommendations, ice pack/cryotherapy, extremity adjusting, trigger point therapy, and disease prevention/early screening advice.

Physical Therapy
Physical therapy, also known as Physiotherapy in many English speaking countries, provides services to individuals and populations to develop, maintain and restore maximum movement and functional ability throughout the lifespan. This includes providing services in circumstances where movement and function are threatened by aging, injury, disease or environmental factors. Functional movement is central to what it means to be healthy.

Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, treatment/intervention, habilitation and rehabilitation. This encompasses physical, psychological, emotional, and social well being. Physical therapy involves the interaction between physical therapist (PT), patients/clients, other health professionals, families, care givers, and communities in a process where movement potential is assessed and goals are agreed upon, using knowledge and skills unique to physical therapists. Physical therapy is performed by either a physical therapist (PT) or an assistant (PTA) acting under their direction.

PTs utilize an individual’s history and physical examination to arrive at a diagnosis and establish a management plan, and when necessary, incorporate the results of laboratory and imaging studies. Electrodiagnostic testing (e.g. electromyograms and nerve conduction velocity testing) may also be of assistance.

Physical therapy has many specialties including cardiopulmonary, geriatrics, neurologic, orthopaedic and pediatrics to name some of the more common areas. PTs practice in many settings, such as outpatient clinics or offices, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, extended care facilities, private homes, education and research centers, schools, hospices, industrial workplaces or other occupational environments, fitness centers and sports training facilities.

Massage Therapy
Massage is the treatment and practice of soft tissue manipulation with physical, functional, and in some cases psychological purposes and goals. The word comes from the French massage “friction of kneading,” possibly from Arabic massa “to touch, feel, handle” or from Latin massa “mass, dough”. (In distinction the ancient Greek word for massage itself was anatripsis , and the Latin was frictio.) An older etymology may even have been the Hebrew me-sakj “to anoint with oil.”

Massage involves acting on and manipulating the client’s body with pressure (structured, unstructured, stationary, and/or moving), tension, motion, or vibration done manually or with mechanical aids. Target tissues may include muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin, joints, or other connective tissue, as well as lymphatic vessels, and/or organs of the gastrointestinal system. Massage can be applied with the hands, fingers, elbows, forearm, and feet. There are over eighty different massage modalities. The most cited reasons for introducing massage have been client demand and perceived clinical effectiveness.

In professional settings massage involves the client being treated while lying on a massage table, sitting in a massage chair, or lying on a mat on the floor. The massage subject may be fully or partly unclothed. Parts of the body may be covered with towels or sheets.

Injury Rehabilitation
Exercise is a vital part of the rehabilitation process for most sporting injuries. The idea that an athlete is completely cured once the treatments on the therapist’s couch are over is simply outdated. Instead, when athletes visit physios, in conjunction with receiving a course of treatment, they will be set specific strengthening and flexibility exercises. Exercises are included in rehabilitation programmes to ensure the injury site returns to a fully functional state and/or to ensure that the original cause of the injury is eliminated.

For example, an athlete recovering from tennis elbow will need to strengthen the wrist extensor muscles to prevent the injury recurring. The extensor muscles are often weak compared to the wrist flexor muscles and so are susceptible to overload. Or, an athlete recovering from a hamstring strain would need to stretch and strengthen the injured hamstring to ensure that flexibility and strength are equal for both injured and non-injured sides. Because exercise is intrinsic to the rehabilitation process, trainers and coaches need to be aware that they have a significant part to play in helping their athletes back to full fitness. This article will discuss each stage of the injury management process in the hope of providing a few useful pointers for coaches and trainers.

Spinal Decompression
In the past, a patient suffering from disc problems usually was given pain medications, instructed to refrain from physical activities, referred for physical therapy, and when they weren’t progressing they were sent for spinal surgery. Conservative chiropractic care proved very helpful in many cases, yet there have been some cases when surgery seemed to be the only other option… until now.

Today, you don’t have to live with that pain anymore. Thanks to the concerted efforts of a team of top physicians and medical engineers, Spinal Decompression was developed to effectively treat lower back pain and sciatica resulting from herniated or deteriorated discs. Spinal Decompression not only significantly reduces back pain in many patients, but also enables the majority of patients to return to more active lifestyles.

Does Spinal Decompression really work? Spinal Decompression has been proven effective in relieving the pain associated with bulging and herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, sciatica, and even relapse or failed back surgery. Since its release, clinical studies have revealed an amazing success rate in treating lumbar disc related problems with Spinal Decompression.

How does it work? Spinal Decompression uses state of the art technology to apply a distraction force to relieve nerve compression often associated with low back pain and sciatica. You may click here to read more about spinal decompressoin.